Slip of the Tongue

I would never call myself a linguist. Although, I do have a large vocabulary and took pride in winning the Spelling Bee in both 7th & 8th grades. But as I get older, I think my span of the English language shows itself in my letter writing and certainly my blogging. I also dabble a bit with my own cabaret lyrics as well as writing what I hope to be good script for my cabaret sets. Crossword puzzles can eat up hours of my time on a rainy day like today.

So when I stumble across an interesting feature on #Words, it piques my interest for sure. Especially when you bring politics into the mix! The Broadway force that is #Hamilton is a great arena where the two can clash with fireworks. Via a great story on the Mind Circle, it lists 30 "lost" words in the English language compiled by York University. With typical British "cheek" they also bounce off the tongue easily which makes them all the more fun to insert into conversations. All the words have something to do with corruption. Some favorites:

Coney–catch, b, v: To swindle, cheat; to trick, dupe, deceive

Quacksalver, n: A person who dishonestly claims knowledge of or skill in medicine; a pedlar of false cures

Peacockize, v.: To behave like a peacock; esp. to pose or strut ostentatiously

Merry-go-sorry, n. A mixture of joy and sorrow

Ear-rent, n. The figurative cost to a person of listening to trivial or incessant talk

Be sure to check out the article link so you can see the entire plethora of definitions. Use one in a sentence soon! 

30 Lost Words